Gyeonggi Gov't to Push for Joint Customs Office with N. Korea Near Border

The Gyeonggi provincial government will push to establish a joint inter-Korean customs, immigration and quarantine(CIQ) office in the Demilitarized Zone(DMZ) in line with the central government's railway project with North Korea.

People are currently required to go through two separate immigration checkpoints on each side of the border to travel north on the Gyeongui Line.

In a briefing Monday, the Gyeonggi government said the inter-Korean CIQ office would combine the inspections to minimize inconvenience for potential civilian travelers following the completion of the railway restoration and modernization project.

The provincial government also plans to open duty free shops and local specialty stores at the station where the CIQ office would be built and link the facilities to nearby DMZ tour programs.

The Gyeonggi government will propose the plan to the central government.